6 Bookkeeping Workflow Automation tax and accounting engagements in full — what the client came to us with, what we did, and what it was worth. Each one is specific to bookkeeping workflow automation work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Objection and relief
Notice Of Objection Allowed In Full, $121,000 Reversed — Two-Location Cafe, Edmonton
Client: A two-location cafe · Where: Edmonton, Alberta · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Amount reversed$121,000
ObjectionAllowed in full
Account balanceNil
The situation
A two-location cafe in Edmonton, Alberta had been reassessed for $121,000 and had 12 days left on the objection deadline. The reassessment rested on input tax credits claimed on receipts that had already been claimed once.
What we did
We filed the objection inside the deadline with a complete submission rather than a placeholder, and separated the owner’s personal spending out of the corporate accounts and cleared the resulting shareholder loan properly.
The result
The appeals officer allowed the objection in full. $121,000 was reversed and the account returned to a nil balance.
Case Study 2 · Sale and succession
Share Sale Restructured, $765,000 Less Tax On Closing — Residential Cleaning Franchise, Halifax
Client: A residential cleaning franchise · Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Tax saved on closing$765,000
PriceAs agreed
Post-closing adjustmentsNone
The situation
A residential cleaning franchise in Halifax, Nova Scotia was preparing to sell. Due diligence surfaced retained cash well above what the business needed to operate, which would have reduced the price or killed the deal outright.
What we did
We cleaned up the historical file, rebuilt the ledger from bank and card statements, matched every receipt to a transaction, and removed duplicated input tax credits before they became a review, and prepared the due-diligence package the buyer's advisers actually asked for.
The result
The deal closed at the agreed price. $765,000 of tax was saved against the structure originally proposed, with no post-closing adjustment.
Case Study 3 · Scaling without breaking
Growth Handled Without A Missed Filing, $39,500 Freed — Owner-Operated Trades Business, Regina
Client: An owner-operated trades business · Where: Regina, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Cash freed$39,500
Compliance failuresNone
ReportingMonthly
The situation
An owner-operated trades business in Regina, Saskatchewan was opening in a second province — different filing obligations, a different payroll regime, and a bookkeeping file where owner draws, payroll and supplier payments all landed in the same account already in the file.
What we did
We reconciled receivables and payables to source documents and wrote off the balances that were genuinely uncollectible, with support and put monthly reporting in place so the owner could see the cash effect of growth while there was still time to act on it.
The result
Growth was absorbed without a compliance failure. $39,500 of cash was released, and the monthly reporting now flags a problem while it is still small.
Case Study 4 · Records and systems rebuilt
Books Rebuilt From Source, $9,500 In Unclaimed Input Tax Found — Equipment Rental Yard, Moncton
Client: An equipment rental yard · Where: Moncton, New Brunswick · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Unclaimed tax found$9,500
Records rebuilt31 months
ProcessDocumented
The situation
An equipment rental yard in Moncton, New Brunswick could not answer basic questions about its own numbers, because eighteen months of unreconciled transactions and a shoebox of receipts sat between the bank statements and the ledger.
What we did
We set up a documented chart of accounts, a receipt-capture workflow and a monthly reconciliation that closes within ten days of month-end, then documented the process so the work does not depend on any one person remembering how it was done.
The result
Records rebuilt and reconciled, $9,500 recovered in input tax credits that the old file could not support, and a documented monthly process now in place.
Case Study 5 · Structure rebuilt
Reorganisation Completed Tax-Deferred, $18,000 Saved Each Year — Subscription Box Retailer, Toronto
A subscription box retailer in Toronto, Ontario had outgrown the structure it started with. Three years of returns filed off numbers nobody could trace back to a bank statement was the immediate problem; the longer-term one was that the structure blocked the next step.
What we did
We mapped the current structure, modelled the target, and separated the owner’s personal spending out of the corporate accounts and cleared the resulting shareholder loan properly — with the tax-deferred elections filed on time and the supporting valuations documented.
The result
The reorganisation completed without triggering tax, and the new structure saves approximately $18,000 a year while removing the exposure the old one carried.
Case Study 6 · Missed incentive claimed
$50,000 Credit Claim Filed And Accepted Without Adjustment — Wedding Photography Studio, Ottawa
Client: A wedding photography studio · Where: Ottawa, Ontario · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Claim value$50,000
AcceptedWithout adjustment
RepeatableAnnually
The situation
A wedding photography studio in Ottawa, Ontario assumed the credits did not apply to a business its size. Eighteen months of unreconciled transactions and a shoebox of receipts meant they had applied all along.
What we did
We identified the qualifying activity, built the documentation to support it, and rebuilt the ledger from bank and card statements, matched every receipt to a transaction, and removed duplicated input tax credits before they became a review.
The result
$50,000 recovered. Because the eligibility analysis is on file, the same claim can be repeated each year with a fraction of the effort.
Reviewed for the 2025 tax year by Udit Gupta, Certified Tax Accountant. Figures describe representative engagements of this type; outcomes depend on your own facts. Client names and identifying details are omitted for confidentiality.
